


Your Warmth

by LittleMissLucid



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Acceptance, Aikoto Week 2020, Canonical Character Death, Confessions, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Indirect Confessions, Tags Contain Spoilers, feels??, pretty much doing this as I go along
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25296619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissLucid/pseuds/LittleMissLucid
Summary: Aigis and Minato spend some time together.A collection of shorts for Aikoto Week 2020.
Relationships: Aigis & Takeba Yukari, Aigis/Arisato Minato, Aigis/Persona 3 Protagonist, Aigis/Yuuki Makoto (Persona Series)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 51
Collections: Makoto/Minato & Aigis Week





	1. 1: Body Heat

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a Persona 3 fic, so I hope it turns out alright. This is a collection of fics for Aikoto Week 2020. Please enjoy!

When Minato placed his hand over hers, Aigis felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. 

He’d taken one of his gloves off, so she could clearly feel his warmth against her metal fingers. The sensation was pleasant, though not just because it was in stark contrast to her own coldness and the wintry air around them. The very fact that he was beside her, that he was _there_ , made her feel as though she was flying through the sky.

Still, though, Aigis had to take his well-being into account. “Minato-san,” She sounded a bit breathless. “You should put your glove back on before your fingers freeze. It is very cold up here.” She made a tiny squeak of shock when instead of pulling away, Minato laced his fingers with hers. At the base of her neck, her Papillon Heart began to throb more rapidly, so much so that she thought it would burst.

The feeling only intensified when Minato gently lifted her hand up and pressed the cold metal to his cheek a moment later. Aigis could only stare as he then used his other, gloved hand to hold their joined ones in place. “Are you fine with this?” he asked.

Aigis resisted the urge to turn away. “But why? My hands offer no warmth for you. I— I am not human, after all.” 

Minato tilted his head. “That doesn’t matter to me.” he said. “And this way, I can help both of us stay warm.”

“I do not understand how that could work.” Though simply staying up here with him, temporarily free from all of their worries and sorrows, did sound nice.

Against all of her logic circuits, she moved closer and tentatively leaned against him. The two of them looked out over the railing towards the city in the distance. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? The snow really helps.” Minato murmured. Aigis stared out at the buildings layered with white and the harbor, which seemed to shine with a light of its own even though there was no sun. She nodded slowly.

They stayed there for a long time. It was only when they moved to leave that Aigis realized that their hands were still together.


	2. 2: First Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the final battle, Aigis goes to look for the leader.

“No matter what, I will always protect you.”

Aigis clearly remembered making that vow several times since she met Minato the previous summer. Though the first instance was simply out of instinct, as time went on, she realized that more and more of her own feelings went into each promise. 

Before long, it had become difficult for her to deny the fact that Minato held a special place in her heart. 

They faced each other in the middle of his room, illuminated by a solitary moonbeam. "I have always tried to stay by your side," Aigis murmured. "So it may seem selfish of me to request something from you, Minato-san, but… " She looked up to meet his eyes. "Promise me that you'll try your best to stay safe through this last battle. Anything could happen, and I… would like it if we could be together afterwards.”

He brushed his fingers against hers in a reassuring way. "An exchange of promises, then?" he asked.

Aigis nodded. She hoped that her relief wasn’t too apparent on her face. “There is something else I would like to ask you.” she began. “Would you mind staying here with me for these last few minutes? I’d like to take everything in one last time before we go.” Minato said nothing, but he seemed to move a bit closer to her.

For the first time since her activation, Aigis found herself admiring the full moon outside as the two of them stood there together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for today (at the time of uploading this, it was actually yesterday's) is first love, so I tried to show that from Aigis' perspective. I also tried to incorporate the discussion question-- whether Aigis or Minato would confess first-- into the fic. What happens here isn't exactly a traditional confession, but hopefully it's enough.  
> I may have rushed this chapter a bit, which is why it probably isn't very good.


	3. 3: Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Nyx's defeat, they become the only ones who remember.

Students in the halls didn't look back when they bumped into her. Teachers had to do double takes when they read her name during attendance. Even the other members of SEES seemed to only know her as the odd girl who could occasionally be seen following them around. 

Some days, Aigis herself had to double-check that she still existed.

Of course she had expected to see some changes in others' memories of her after the Dark Hour disappeared, but nothing could have prepared her for the stab of hurt she felt when she watched her friends give her confused glances over their shoulders and quickly walk away. 

And Minato… 

For the first few weeks, he hadn’t paid her much mind either. The first interaction they’d had since the night of the 31st was when Aigis saw him stumble on his way home and rushed over to help him. She was surprised at how tired he seemed— she had to practically carry him back home. Once they’d arrived at the dorm, he’d started to thank her before he stopped and looked over her with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. Her heart sank when he shook his head and walked up the stairs without a backwards look.

Since then, however, there had been several times where Aigis caught Minato glancing at her with that same look of concentration on his face. On the last day of February, he’d even stopped her in the hallway. He’d looked like he wanted to say something to her, but excused himself after several minutes of struggling for words. 

Then, a few days later, she found Minato leaning against a column in the school’s entrance hall. His whole body was trembling and his breaths rattled in his chest. Aigis hurried to his side and propped him up over her shoulders before hauling him away. Her insides were going haywire, though it wasn’t until sparks flew in front of her eyes that she realized why. 

She was afraid— of Minato’s sudden bout of illness, of her inability to be of much help, of whether or not anyone else knew about it, of whether he would live or die— 

There was a groan from her right and Minato began to stir. Aigis jumped and turned her head to face him. Now that their faces were only centimeters from each other, she realized again how exhausted Minato looked— it seemed like he was struggling to even keep his eyes open. “Minato-san, don’t overstrain yourself.” She tried to keep the fear in her voice to a minimum. “We’ll arrive at the dorm soon, and then—”

“Aigis.” 

Her heart skipped several beats. She could feel hope swell in her chest, drowning out the panic from earlier. After a few false starts, she managed to speak. “Do you… remember?” 

She felt Minato’s slow nod. “It started coming back a while ago, after you helped me. I think you probably had a lot to do with my memories recovering, Aigis, so… thank you.”

Aigis’ heart burned with a heat so intense she nearly stumbled herself. “You should thank me by resting when we return to the dorm.” she said, flustered. “I will wake you later when you need to eat.”

Despite the wild happiness that had taken hold of her, there was a small voice in her head insisting that she ask him about his strange symptoms. She pushed it away. Awkward questions could— no, would wait until Minato’s condition improved. 

She didn’t want to put any extra strain on his mind, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter addresses one of the prompts as well as the discussion question of the day (what issues Aigis and Minato would have to overcome as a couple).  
> I hope this fic's been enjoyable so far! It's certainly provided a bit of a challenge for me, since I usually don't write based on prompts in such a short time frame.


	4. 4: First Date/Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aigis and Minato make plans to meet on the rooftop.

“Are you feeling alright now, Minato-san?” She could already tell from the way he leaned against the doorframe, but didn’t challenge his nod. She supposed that Minato was just still half-asleep and squashed the voice in her head that said otherwise. 

Minato’s room had a completely different feel to it now that it was bathed in the early morning sun. Everything was tinted light yellow and had a softer look overall. Aigis couldn’t explain why, but the sight made her feel melancholic. 

The blue-haired boy was staring expectantly at her. Ah, yes. She didn’t come to Minato’s room just to admire it. She was in the middle of asking him to meet on the roof after the graduation ceremony before she was struck with a sense of familiarity. “The night of the final battle… I also asked you to make a promise here, didn’t I?”

Minato had a faraway look on his face as his gaze travelled to the window. “You wanted me to make sure I kept myself safe,” he said. “And, well, I came back after sealing away Nyx.” He turned to Aigis with a rare teasing look in his gray eyes. “At this rate, we could rename this room the promise room.”

Aigis giggled. It was still a foreign sound, albeit one she could get used to quickly. “Would the type of meeting that I'm proposing be what you call a ‘date?’” she asked shyly.

He shrugged, though there was a gentle look on his face. “I won’t break my promise." Suddenly, he pulled his headphones off his ears and handed them to her along with his music player. "Here. Keep these for a bit."

Aigis stared at the devices in surprise. "But Minato-san, aren't these important to you?" 

"That's exactly why I'm entrusting them to you." He didn't seem to be joking. "You can give them back after our meeting. And if I don't come for some reason, you can keep them." His expression softened. "You can even listen to the songs, if you want." After saying his piece, he headed to the door to wait for her. The two of them walked out together. 

They were halfway down the stairs before Aigis realized that her fist was still clenched tightly around Minato's reminders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Updated ver.) Fun fact: I'd been planning the end scene for this chapter for a bit, but when I actually wrote the chapter out, I went and forgot about it. Sometimes I amaze myself.
> 
> This chapter should be mostly done now. Any additional edits will most likely be minor.


	5. 5: The Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aigis finally gets to confess.

Once upon a time, Aigis would have thought nothing of the view from the school's rooftop. She wouldn’t have found any beauty in the gentle shimmer of the bay or in the hypnotic turning of the wind turbines. She wouldn’t have looked out over the city skyline and thought about how far they’d all come in the last year.

She certainly wouldn’t have spent time waiting on the rooftop for anyone either, and yet here she was. 

Aigis’ hands gripped at her skirt in anticipation. There’d been so much she’d wanted to tell Minato that morning, when she asked him to meet with her. She wanted to tell him about how the past few months had felt like a blindfold had been lifted from her eyes, how her heart beat in excitement at the thought of watching flower petals fall in the spring breeze, how much he meant to her… she wasn’t even sure where to begin, honestly. 

The sound of a door creaking open made Aigis turn her head. She simultaneously felt waves of elation and unease fill her as she watched Minato walk up the last stair. He stood in place for a few seconds to catch his breath before he stumbled towards her. Before Aigis even had time to process her actions, she’d crossed the roof and caught him in her arms. “You came.” Her voice cracked as she listened to Minato’s shallow breaths. “Let’s go sit. W-we can enjoy the view together.” She helped Minato walk to the bench she had been sitting on, but his head began to droop forward the moment he sat next to her. Aigis had to catch him again to stop him from falling off the bench. “You really are tired,” she mused. She shifted to the side to give him room to lay down and gently guided his head into her lap. 

When Minato stifled a yawn and gave her a sleepy smile, the words began to simply flow out of her mouth. Every confession about her experiences and her newfound feelings made her chest feel a bit lighter and her heart more determined. All too soon, the three most important words were on her tongue.

“I love you,” Aigis whispered as she swept a lock of hair out of Minato’s face. “And… thank you. For everything that’s happened and everything that’s made me feel this way. It’s been difficult, adjusting to all of it, but it hasn’t been unpleasant.” Her left hand traced a path down his arm and intertwined her fingers with his. “If you don’t mind, I— I’d like to stay by your side forever. I’ll keep my promise and protect you for the rest of my days.” Minato’s face lit up with a smile that mirrored her own and Aigis could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

She was brushing down another stray hair when voices in the distance caught her attention. “Do you hear them? It seems like they remembered, too.” Aigis gave Minato’s hand a squeeze. The two of them wouldn’t have much more time alone. She wanted to make the most of it, but Minato seemed to have more and more trouble keeping his eyes open with every passing moment. “Please, don’t worry. Rest as much as you need to. You’ve earned it.” With her free hand, she reached out and gingerly closed his eyelids before turning her attention to the beautiful scene beyond.

They would have more opportunities to come up here together again once Minato was rested. She couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I of course heavily borrowed from the original scene in the game, which is also my favorite Aikoto moment.
> 
> Also, this is the first time that I've tried to write actual feels/love confessions in a while! I'm glad that this week is giving me opportunities to practice these kinds of things.


	6. 6: Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's never easy to say goodbye.

“Kirijo-san told us to expect you. I take it you’ve come to say your goodbyes?” The grim-faced doctor gestured towards the room. “Go on. I won’t get in your way.”

Aigis nodded stiffly and walked inside. The door shut with a _click_ behind her.

Most of the room was the same as ever— unlike the rest of the hospital, it was covered from top to bottom with pale blue wallpaper. The details of the room seemed to change every time she visited, though. When she came yesterday, she’d found a handkerchief that had fallen under the bed. The day before that, there had been a chair with one leg torn off in the corner. Those items were gone today, but someone had stuffed a vase on the nearby table full of pink and blue flowers. On that same table laid the torn arm of a figurine of some kind. Dried glue covered one end of the toy, as if it had been mended several times. 

Aigis knew that Minato would smile if he was awake to see this room as it was now. The thought made sparks fly from her joints and her hands curled into fists. 

The aquamarine curtains in front of the window had been drawn open, letting the afternoon sun spill onto Minato’s bed. Bathed in sunlight, his skin seemed lighter than before and his expression was oddly serene. Aigis reached for a chair and sat down next to the bed. “Good afternoon— ” Her voice cracked. She paused to regain her composure before reaching into her skirt pocket. In her hands were Minato’s silver headphones and his thin music player. “It didn’t feel right for me to keep these, so I thought I’d finally give them back.” Her fingers began to fiddle with the buttons on the device. “To tell you the truth, I’d been wondering what you always listened to. I hope you don’t mind if I play something from here for us.” 

She put one of the headphones on the bed and held the other to her ear as the music slowly began to swell. Aigis was able to pick out the contrasting sounds of a gentle piano and an electric guitar from the song. Inexplicably, Aigis found herself thinking that the chosen instruments gave the song a lonely, yet passionate feeling. 

It would’ve been nice if she and Minato could listen to something like this together. She could imagine the two of them sitting next to each other, surrounded by the music. She could even see him nodding along to the music with a look of contentment before turning to her to ask what she thought. 

Yes, it _would_ have been nice. But something like that wasn’t possible now. Minato had gone somewhere far away and Aigis would never see him with his eyes open again, no matter how hard she tried or how broken she became. 

The air in the room seemed to become heavier. The mental image of Minato’s happy smile and his thin, pale face on the pillow seemed to melt together before her eyes as the reality of the situation came crashing down on her. The headphones slipped from her grasp and fell onto the bed, taking the music with them. She couldn't take it anymore; she bent over and slammed her fists down on the mattress again and again until her joints were sore and her mind was a frenzied mess. Aigis let out a noise that was somewhere between scream and laugh before collapsing forward onto the bed.

After a few moments, she forced herself to look back at Minato. The shock wave from her assault on the bed had knocked his body to the side. His head was bent at a strange angle and his blue hair had become messy. The sight instantly struck her with guilt and she spent some time carefully rearranging him. Then, she finally spoke again. “They’re planning to move you out of the hospital tomorrow, Minato-san. I... I came to tell you that the funeral will be next week—” 

She couldn't even finish before anguished sobs began to overtake her words. Burying her face in her arms, Aigis let her sobs freely fill the room.


	7. 7: Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aigis moves on.

“I still can’t believe that we’re leaving this place,” Yukari said in a hushed whisper. 

Aigis finished locking up the doors and turned to her. The brown-haired girl stared at their old dorm with a wistful look in her eyes. “We’ve only been here for about a year, but at this point, it feels like it’s been a lot longer. I’m really going to miss it.” Her gaze fell to meet Aigis’. “Do you feel the same way?”

The blonde girl fidgeted with the key ring before answering. “Yes, of course. After spending time with you all, I began to think of the dorm as my home. But… as we learned, all good things must come to an end.” She could hear the waver in her voice and for a split second, she saw sadness distort Yukari’s smile. When the other girl spoke again, her voice was heavier. “Hey. Sorry for asking, but are you really alright with them cleaning out Minato’s room, Aigis? I thought you would have wanted to keep it the same.”

It was true that Aigis had considered asking to preserve everything in Minato’s room in memory of him as well as in memory of the promises that the two of them had made there, but in the end, she’d decided against it. “I don’t have any regrets about that.” Her hand drifted up to her heart. “I suppose that to me, it shows that we’ve moved on from his death… that we won’t let it weigh us down anymore.” She felt a bit embarrassed as her eyes met Yukari's. “Er, my apologies. Did that sound strange?”

"Why would it have been strange? Don't apologize!” Yukari laughed gently. “I mean, after everything we’ve been through, that’d probably be the most logical course of action. I guess I’m still trying to reassure myself more than anything else.” She held out her hand. “Come on. Let’s not keep Mitsuru and the others waiting any longer.”

As the two girls walked away, Aigis turned her head to give the dormitory one last, long look. She’d made so many memories here, discovered so much about herself… really, it almost felt wrong to leave it all behind. 

But as she herself had said, all good things came to an end. Moving on was a part of life. 

Her mind was made up. Now she just had to tell him.

“I've decided to keep moving forward,” she murmured quietly. “I’ll devote myself to living life to the fullest, so that I can make memories that we can both be happy about. Please continue to smile for me, Minato-san, wherever you are, and know that…” _I’ll always love you._ The last bit was left unsaid, but Aigis hoped that her feelings were clear nonetheless.

Her words were her last promise to Minato. From then on, she didn’t look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done! Honestly, writing this fic was a ton of fun. I _think_ everything turned out alright, but I wonder what I'll think of this fic when I look back on it after some time. As I said, this marks the first time I've done a lot of things, like writing for a series of challenges and writing feelsy scenes. So I hope they turned out alright.  
> Either way, to those who read this to the end and enjoyed it, thank you so much! I hope I made you feel something positive while reading this fic. See you again!


End file.
